What car took over from the Ford Escort?
The Ford Focus is the successor to the Ford Escort in most markets. Ford phased out the Escort as Focus sales grew, with Europe replacing the Escort in 1998–1999 and North America following around the 2000 model year.
European and global market shift
In Europe, the Focus was introduced in 1998 for the 1999 model year, replacing the Escort as Ford's main compact car. The switch was rapid in most markets, as Ford sought to unify its global small-car platform under a single nameplate.
- 1998/1999: Ford Focus launches in Europe as the Escort’s successor, shifting consumer demand toward the newer model.
- Late 1990s–early 2000s: Focus becomes Ford’s default compact car in Europe and many other regions outside North America.
The transition consolidated Ford's compact-car lineup around the Focus in Europe and across several global markets, reducing reliance on the Escort name.
North American timeline
In the United States and Canada, the Focus arrived later as the Escort’s replacement: the Focus debuted for the 2000 model year (launched in 1999) to take over the compact segment from the Escort, with the Escort name continuing briefly in some trims and inventories before its eventual disappearance.
- 1999: Focus launches in North America for the 2000 model year, marking the formal local replacement for the Escort.
- Early 2000s: Escort production winds down in the region as Focus sales rise.
By the early 2000s, the Focus had largely supplanted the Escort in North America, aligning the region with Ford’s global strategy for the compact car segment.
Summary: Across major markets, the Ford Focus supplanted the Escort as Ford’s compact car offering, debuting in Europe in 1998/1999 and arriving in North America for the 2000 model year, with the Escort name gradually phased out in the early 2000s.
In brief: The Focus took over from the Ford Escort.
